Pre-Update Notice

April 9th.

After the explosive level grind the day before, I'd spent every remaining hour resting at home. Into the Feather Bag—our drop item—we'd packed daily necessities along with a generous haul of groceries from the supermarket, chosen on Sora's recommendation.

True to her roots as a shut-in gamer who'd lived buried in her room, Sora's food preferences were pure gamer through and through. Instant noodles, soda, energy drinks. So I'd swept up noodles by the armful to match her tastes. I hadn't tried to stop her. I'd been craving ramen and jjajangmyeon myself.

And so the night of April 8th became a modest little celebration of our hunting success. Just two cans of soda and ramen boiled over a butane burner—but in our present circumstances, it might as well have been a feast fit for kings.

We ate that ramen like it was the best thing we'd ever tasted (both of us nearly cried from pure emotion), sipped our sodas, and watched the nightscape beyond the window like sentries on watch.

Then, out of nowhere, Han Sora said:

"If we keep going like this… we can survive to the end, right?"

Even if that "end" was a vague, undefined horizon—

I answered without a shred of hesitation.

"Of course."

Han Sora didn't react much to my reply. But in the moonlight, I thought I caught the faintest smile on her face.

Anyway—lucky April 8th came to a close, and April 9th arrived.

Today, just like yesterday, I planned to stake out a decent hunting ground.

The moment we stepped outside—

"…What the hell?"

"Uh, uhh? O-oh, today… why are there so many skel—skeletons?"

Both Sora and I tilted our heads at the scene before us.

There were… way too many skeletons on the main road. And along the edges of the boulevard stood skeletons of an entirely different caliber from the ones we'd seen yesterday.

A Skeleton Knight. Mounted on a skeletal steed, clad in full armor and wielding a knight's lance, it prowled the main road.

A Skeleton Mage. Draped in the kind of elegant robes you'd associate with a wizard and gripping a staff, it too rode a skeletal horse along the boulevard.

What the hell is that.

No, seriously, what the fuck…?

Why the hell are Level 35 monsters suddenly showing up here?

And those weapons and gear—they're on a completely different level of intimidation from the other ones.

This is balance? Hey, Administrator, is this for real?

"Sora. Hide, quickly. Those things are genuinely powerf—"

"O-oh no, it's cominggggg!!"

I didn't even get the chance to finish my warning.

"…!"

Clop, clop!

One of the Skeleton Knights had locked onto Sora and me and was charging straight at us.

Are you kidding me?! We're this far away and it still aggro'd?!

"Sora, forgive me!"

"Huh? You're abandoning—kyaah!"

Without waiting for her consent, I scooped her into a princess carry and bolted from the spot. That horse might be fast, but I wasn't exactly a slouch myself.

Agility: 18 (90 S)

I hit Agility 18 yesterday! That's a full S by Brave Saga Online standards!

According to Han Sora—

'S-S-rank?! Th-that level of power… it's already incomparable to some Level 10 scrub! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That's basically the strength of Level 50 or higher! But… that Dragon Gate RPG game is so outdated… aagh… classic games for you. Why are the stat gains and EXP requirements so ridiculously high? These days if you can't hit Level 5 in ten minutes they call it a trash game and rain hell on it… I'm sorry…'

—she'd put it something like that, so I trusted my abilities and ran.

Clop, clop…

The hoofbeats faded into the distance. Looks like putting enough space between us meant it wouldn't give chase. There weren't many Skeleton Warriors or Archers around here either. Perfect. I'd stash Sora here.

I quickly scanned the nearby shops for the deepest place to hide a body and ducked inside. A clothing store. Ideal—plenty of clothes to conceal herself behind. I gently set Sora down behind the counter and whispered in her ear.

"If things get dangerous, whisper into the radio."

"P-princess carry… h-huh? What did you say, Jeong Hoon oppa?"

"If things get dangerous, whisper into the radio. And hold out as long as you can… or run to wherever I am."

"O-oppa… what are you going to do?"

What else? The obvious.

I carefully rested a hand on top of Han Sora's head—a gesture meaning stay calm and stay put. The moment my hand touched her, she froze like someone had pulled her power cord.

Whoops. A man's hand out of nowhere must've made her tense up. We just came outside—my hands aren't even that dirty.

I gave her a nod and slipped out of the shop. Crouched low, I moved with careful precision.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I closed in on the Skeleton Knight still prowling the spot where we'd been standing.

And then I paused.

…

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

This was nothing like when it had spotted us from afar and charged. I was right on top of it, and it hadn't noticed me at all. Even though it was a high-tier Level 35 monster. Why?

Stealth S.

What else? My S-rank Stealth skill, that's why.

Dumping every skill point I'd earned upon hitting Rogue Level 7 into Stealth was finally paying off. Even an elite monster couldn't sense my presence at all. Of course, some inexplicable inner confidence that the skill would work had egged me on too.

Slowly, from behind, I drew my weapons.

Blades I'd looted yesterday from butchering orcs and goblins. Two daggers. Dual wield. In some games that was a symbol of guaranteed defeat, but—

For me right now, they were the perfect weapons to carve a Level 35 elite monster clean in two.

Whoosh!

Thud!

"!?"

I leapt and slashed the daggers across its neck and waist in one motion.

Crunch—the skeleton before me, the Skeleton Knight, had its head and legs separated and crashed to the ground in a heap of armor.

In an instant, I'd dropped a powerful Skeleton Knight. Incredible damage for a pair of goblin-made daggers.

The secret was the Rogue's bread-and-butter skill: Backstab. Rogue class, daggers, and the right level all came together to deal far more damage than usual.

Unfortunately, the goblin daggers were now completely unusable. See? Balance adjustments, just like I said. One monster split open and the weapons are already falling apart—does that make any sense?

"!!!"

I'd only killed the knight. The skeletal steed was still standing. Sensing its master's death behind it, the bone horse suddenly reared up on its front legs—then bolted straight ahead.

Clop, clop!

At the same time, the nearby Skeleton Knights and Mages seemed to catch the disturbance and turned their hollow gazes my way.

"…?"

"…"

But they only stared blankly at where I'd been standing. They didn't move. Didn't do a thing.

Because the second after killing the knight, I'd reactivated Stealth S and ducked into the nearby ruins. Thank god these things were undead—not thinking, talking creatures like orcs or goblins.

More than anything, the Agility I'd invested in made the difference. An 18 in Dragon Gate RPG was definitely superhuman. Hell, if I dared say it… it was speed on par with a superhero out of the movies.

There was a reason the stat cap during character creation in Dragon Gate RPG was set at 17. Start the game with an 18 and steamroll everything from the jump, and the whole thing gets boring as hell. Sure, overpowered protagonists were the trend these days, but still…

Like this… I safely closed in on my next prey.

Two Skeleton Knights and two Skeleton Mages prowling the main road—four total. Even that small number was enough firepower to massacre hundreds of ordinary survivors. Though I could've sworn there were other skeletons around here earlier. Where'd they all go?

Of course, for me right now, fewer enemies just made things easier, but—huh?

"…!"

A sudden prickle ran through my scalp. I threw myself clear of the spot.

KRAAANG!

A Skeleton Knight swung the greatsword in its hands through the space I'd just occupied.

Did it detect me? But no follow-up strike came at where I'd dodged to.

Holy shit. It just swung on pure knightly instinct, assuming I'd be there? Is this thing really an undead skeleton? I figured Level 35 would be different, but damn.

A formidable opponent. That said, fleeing and abandoning the fight wasn't an option.

An alarm kept blaring in my head: I absolutely could not leave these things roaming free and run away.

Hitting Mage Level 5 yesterday had unlocked three Level 2 spells.

Mental magic like Shattered Mind won't work on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠these things… but the others should land just fine, right?

I slowly reached into the Feather Bag on my back and pulled out one of the orc-made spears I'd scavenged yesterday.

Both Warriors and Rogues had weapon-throwing capabilities. Rogues got daggers and darts; Warriors could hurl nearly anything.

Crouched low among the ruins, I carefully lined up the orc spear. I had one target.

Right between the head and torso of Skeleton Mage #1—I took aim and threw.

Whoosh!

"!!!"

Ting!

Just as expected. It bounced off before reaching Mage #1.

A barrier, obviously. A mage would naturally have that kind of protection. And next, it'll register my attack and dump a counterattack right on this spot.

KRA-KOOM!

Right on cue, the Skeleton Mages' spells hammered the place I'd been standing.

If I'd still been at Agility 17, I wouldn't have dodged that barrage—I'd have taken the full hit and been badly wounded or dead.

But Agility 18 was a different story.

"Farewell."

I'd already slipped behind Skeleton Mage #1 and driven a goblin dagger into its back with a Backstab ages ago.

Thuck! Thunk!

I carved through skeletal bone without hesitation and took its head clean off. Looks like the barrier only triggered once—or maybe, like certain spells, it only reacted to ranged attacks.

Mage #1 crumpled. Left alone, its skeletal steed would go berserk—but I had zero intention of letting that happen.

I seized the bone horse's reins. Pouring every ounce of my Strength 17 into it, I wrenched the steed around by force. Toward where?

Straight at the other Skeleton Mage—Mage #2.

Clop, clop!

"…!"

Before Mage #2 could even process what had happened to its ally, it had a charging skeletal horse to deal with.

Skeleton Mage #2 quickly wheeled its own mount aside to dodge the oncoming steed—then hurled a spell at the spot where its comrade had fallen.

BOOM!

Nobody was there. The Skeleton Mage scanned the surroundings, searching for whoever had killed its partner.

So where was I, you ask? Where else.

Right behind Skeleton Mage #2. The instant I'd set the bone horse running, I'd activated Stealth and sprinted into position at its back.

No weapons left, though.

Which meant I had to settle for a bare-legged kick.

CRACK! Clatter-rattle…!

Strength 17 packed a punch. My foot went a little numb (okay, a lot numb), but I separated Skeleton Mage #2's skull from its body all the same.

Of the two Skeleton Mages and two Knights that had occupied the main road, three were down.

One remained. The Skeleton Knight that—aside from charging us when Sora and I first appeared—hadn't made a single move.

"…"

That Skeleton Knight was staring straight at me with empty eyes. That gaze… something about it felt off.

Almost like… someone controlling the skeletons was watching me through their subordinate.

Clop, clop…!

The Skeleton Knight wheeled its mount around, turning its back to me, and fled.

Or rather—it tried to.

"O arrow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wreathed in flame…!"

Did you really think I'd end this without using a Level 2 spell?

"Fly forth and burn my enemy to ash!"

From my hand, an arrow coiled in fire shot forth—straight at the Skeleton Knight's back. No—its head.

Whoosh—CLANG!

Amazingly, the Skeleton Knight spun around mid-flight and swung its lance, trying to bat the Flame Arrow aside.

The Flame Arrow didn't simply vanish on contact—the fire leaped onto the lance itself. Underestimating a Level 2 spell, bonehead?

And that wasn't the end of it.

"O arrows, punish my foe!"

I followed up with Magic Arrow. Now that my Mage level was 5, each cast split into three projectiles that streaked toward the Skeleton Knight.

Thud, thud, thud!

Naturally, the Skeleton Knight couldn't block three Magic Arrows flying in from unpredictable angles. It had just parried the Flame Arrow with its weapon moments ago—physically impossible. The damage didn't look critical, but I'd achieved my real goal.

Clop, clop!

Because the Skeleton Knight had yanked its steed around and was now charging straight at me.

"Come…!"

I stood my ground, arms spread wide, and shouted. The Skeleton Knight charged without a shred of hesitation, right up to my face. I didn't dodge.

And I didn't get hit, either.

"…!!"

Illusion Clone.

Only after its skeletal steed had charged clean through me did the Skeleton Knight realize it had attacked a phantom. By then, it was already too late.

"O arrows, punish my foe!"

From a completely different direction, I loosed Magic Arrow—three hits straight to the head, separating skull from torso once more.

Total EXP: 1,500 (3,000 split by two)! Total Gold: 300 (600 split by two)!

…Are you kidding me? I busted my ass fighting these things and THIS is the reward??

Before any other skeletons could potentially swarm in, I quickly cleared out of there.

Even as I left, I poured every curse and insult I could muster into the void. My internal tirade against the Administrator responsible for this broken system and monster placement didn't stop until I reached the clothing store where Han Sora was hiding.

Huh? Why isn't Sora answering?

Don't tell me… she got into trouble while she was hiding?

Whew… for a second there I was terrified she'd been ambushed while I was gone. Thank god.

The moment I set foot in the clothing store, I sensed another presence.

A gut feeling that Sora wasn't alone in here. Every hair on my body stood on end and tension spiked—then immediately settled.

Can't be a monster or a zombie. If it were, there's no way Sora would be answering this calmly.

I walked calmly toward the back of the counter.

"Ugh, uuuugh…!"

"J-Jeong Hoon oppa. What do we do? Th-this girl suddenly…"

Han Sora was kneeling beside someone laid out on the floor, fretting helplessly.

She wore a soft orange-toned jacket over a runner's tracksuit. A black ponytail left a strong impression. Even with her face twisted in pain, her beauty hadn't dimmed—she was a young woman who still carried a distinctly youthful air.

An athletic-looking girl I'd never seen before in my life was writhing in agony beside Han Sora, her face contorted with suffering. No visible wounds, though.

Who the hell is this?